Why I runDisney

I have been running since I was in 4th grade, when I joined my grade school's cross country team. All throughout grade school and high school I competed in both cross country and track, choosing to focus just on track in college. Once I graduated college though, I knew my only option to continue running was to jump back into distance, as sprinting on your own is hard to do when you're not a professional runner.

As a distance runner, it seems only natural to want to accomplish a marathon, which is what I set out to do. Of course, choosing my first marathon destination was easy: Disney World. If I was going to potentially suffer through 4+ hours of running I wanted it to be at the Happiest Place In The World. January 10, 2016 I was up at 3am, dressed in running shorts and a shirt adorned with Finding Nemo characters and quotes, with a faithful Nemo plushie clipped to my side. I won't lie, I didn't train as well as I should have for the marathon (I honestly never train the way I should for any of my races), but for a first marathon I was more than excited to cross over the start line and begin the 26.2 mile trek through all of the Disney World parks.

I only have three marathons under my belt right now, two at Disney World and the Chicago Marathon, and I honestly don't believe any race can compare to a runDisney race. VoluntEARS, cast members and spectators line most of the course, cheering you on and waving cleverly written Disney themed signs in the air. While there is some quiet time when running through the back lots it is quickly filled with rare character sitings or energetic DJs, who you wonder just how they can continue to have so much energy after standing around for hours on end.

My favorite part though, is when people start cheering for you. Not "you" as in the large group of runners you are around, but "you" as an individual. The first time I ran Disney I'd run through the water stations and hear the people passing out water calling me by name. I had no idea how they knew my name, and it wasn't until around mile sixteen when I looked down at my bib and realized my name was printed on it. (Why this didn't click earlier I have no idea.) This time around, I ran in a myriad of costumes, but by far the best was during the marathon when I was dressed as Rapunzel. At every turn I constantly kept hearing, "Go Princess!" or "Rapunzel you're my favorite!" Hearing those cheers, directed at you out of thousands of others, is more than enough reason to smile and pick up your pace, if only for a minute.

Disney races are filled with Disney magic, and honestly, I smile more at Disney races than any other race I've been in. For me though, the defining moment of a Disney race is when you enter Magic Kingdom (just at the beginning of the 5 mile marker for the half and full marathon). Though I've seen the castle lit up countless times, there's something about running through Main Street, surrounded by a crowd of endless cheering, and seeing Cinderella's Castle that chokes me up every time. (Even just thinking about it I get a bit teary.) I had to hold back the tears while running, but the emotions you feel while running in such a magical place are real.

I runDisney for multiple reasons: the costumes, the characters, the chance to see behind the scenes, the magic, and of course the medals! (When people ask me why I run so much I tell them it's for the bling.) Honestly though, I'll take any excuse to make a trip down to Disney World, and if I get to combine two of my life passions, running and Disney, into one trip, then it will always be worth it.